1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid cruising control system having a rechargeable battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In automobiles, railroad vehicles, and the like, a hybrid scheme is known that is used to mount a lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion, or any other rechargeable battery in the vehicle, store into the rechargeable battery the electric power that has been obtained via a regenerative brake, and utilize the power during the acceleration of the vehicle in order to improve fuel efficiency.
For example, as described in JP-A-2001-197608, a known method of controlling the amount of electric power stored is by obtaining topographical information from a car navigation system or the like and calculating changes in the amount of power storage to make recharging possible for improved fuel efficiency without discarding electric power obtained via a regenerative brake.
In addition, as described in JP-A-2005-168295, since a rechargeable battery has output impedance, the battery generates heat when discharged or recharged. When the temperature of the battery arrives at a predefined value, the discharge or the recharge is stopped to protect the battery. In order to avoid the stops of the discharge and the recharge, a cooling structure of the battery, such as forced air cooling, is considered and increases in the temperature of the battery are suppressed.